CANTER Mid Atlantic retraining projects & Marlborough Starter

[Jleegriffith]

Someone came up with the name Team Bad Decision along the way which seems about right. Three members of Team Bad Decision reside at the same farm but I am lonely all my myself in the middle of Delaware. Every once in a while we converge on the same place and you get lots of footage of us daring each other to ride like monkeys (well I think that is Fairweather's term for it:lol:). Jump the big log into the water...come on Sarapony it's easy;) It doesn't matter that you have never ridden that horse before in your life just do it!! Of course she did and Dixie thought it was to fun. We tease poor Caffeinated ..come on hunter princess go jump that big jump over there it's not that big! Fairweather on her horse that has only been ridden 4x after his track life drops down into her first water holding a camera in one hand and reins in the other. Lisa doesn't need much egging on so we all just watch her and giggle:lol:

If you want to get a glimpse of the crazy ottb's take a look at the blogs:D Parker demonstrates what a quiet horse looks like at their first schooling. Confused but willing is a great sign. Klondike, Woody and Dixie have all had a year or more of retraining and lots of show mileage under them. Kids on bikes, tractors pulling wagon loads of people and the evil baby carriages don't phase them.

Prospect Park aka Parker who is ridden by Fairweather. I think he has four rides total before his frying pan outing and Fairweather just got some bones taken out of her foot and has not ridden in months.
http://prospectpark.wordpress.com/

Kid Klondike ridden by Caffeinated . Caffeinated is a former hunter rider who has come to the dark side. They make x-c look like a hunter round.
http://kidklondike.wordpress.com/

Lookndownthebarrel aka Woody ridden by Lisamarie8. Woody is a x-country machine with a hind end that makes everything look effortless.
http://lookndownthebarrel.wordpress.com/

Dixie Rumble was ridden by Sarapony as I had another horse who needed to be ridden and I like to share. His fox hunting experiences have improved his confidence out x-country and he was giving us all leads.
http://dixierumble.wordpress.com/

The only one missing was Gutenburg but he recently got to go to a Jimmy Wofford clinic so he was excused..and well he is in N.C. so the drive would have been a bit much for a schooling.

When people talk about ottb's not being ammy horses it is all I can do to keep my mouth shut and not disagree. I hope our bunch of horses proves otherwise.

[caffeinated]

Kid Klondike ridden by Manetamer. Manetamer is a former hunter rider who has come to the dark side. They make x-c look like a hunter round.
http://kidklondike.wordpress.com/

When people talk about ottb's not being ammy horses it is all I can do to keep my mouth shut and not disagree. I hope our bunch of horses proves otherwise.

hee, on here I have a different username :)

I have not given up on hunters completely though. Yoda needs to go win a few ribbons in that ring, seeing as that's what I got him for, LOL.

[colliemom]

And then don't forget Afton Mountain (a.k.a. Owen) who was started in his retraining by Caffeinated but now has moved on to ... me! He is smart, and quiet, has not even looked at the goats doing their head-butting routine on the top of a metal truck-cap (don't ask!) or horses careening around in the pasture next to the ring. First trail ride out was perfectly mannerly, up front or behind, he didn't care. Jumping happily and quietly. Knocked a rail down, and we were prepared for the next attempt to be the typical greenie overjumped "I ain't gettin' anywhere NEAR that thing!" but nope ... he just quietly cantered down and said "oh, I guess I need to lift my front toe another half inch here." Too cute!

Maybe it's just the magic mo-jo that CANTER MidAtlantic has for these project horses!

[caffeinated]

Yay Owen!!!!!!

Great name for him, by the way, totally fits his personality I think!

[Jleegriffith]

Too many user names I fixed that for you!

Colliemom- our retraining projects do seem to have that type of attitude which I like to think comes from their exposure to all sorts of special team bad decision bombproofing techniques:lol: I still don't know how Fairweather can video from on top of a dead green horse. She is very talented with her video and photography skills. She goes where no other sane rider
will;)

[sarapony]

Dixie also acted as the amassador for all of the park children.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1461/9437369/21846931/360613753.jpg


As for Team Bad Decision, I think I am a member of the JV Squad. I haven't ridden more than a few times since I lost my horse in September. Which means that showing up at Frying Pan Park to school XC on a horse I've never ridden is a BRILLIANT idea! I am still sore 2 days later. :D

[mythical84]

sarapony: that photo is precious. What good ponies you all have.

[sarapony]

Every single one of these ponies is for sale! So feel free to buy your own TBD experience! We can promise that they have been used and abused by our own monkey antics:lol:

[mythical84]

I actually got the Harrymonster through CANTER-MA back in '06. He's the love of my life. I'm not sure how he would feel about being replaced.

[Lisamarie8]

I will sheepishly take credit for Team Bad Decision. I don't know when I began indoctrinating people to join the team, but Fairweather and I are inaugural members, I know that much. I mean no one can make decisions like that in a vacuum. Who would document them???? The name came from what seems to have become my slogan. "Lisa, such good ideas, yet SUCH bad decisions!"

Look for Team Bad Decision at the Fall ATCs! :p

We had a LARGE time! Although I will correct sarapony, Woods is not for sale. He was originally, but we realized we were each others (nerdy)people, fell in love, and the rest is (poorly decided) history :cool: I mean how could I part ways with a tongue-sucking 15.2 hand freakazoid?

And I will say this, that anyone who ends up with a CANTER horse that has gone through Jlee's barn is a lucky lucky soul. She does an AMAZING job with them.

[FairWeather]

OMG, monkey riding for everybody to see!! So funny, and too much fun.
I literally have not ridden in three months, and haven't jumped in 6, so I shouldn't have had a totally green-bean out there.
But that goes against everything TBD stands for!!

We go out, we have fun. Novel idea!!

YAY OWEN! he's going to be a total superstar :)

[RacetrackReject]

And where are those Team Bad Decision t-shirts FW? =) I believe I remember you and SMay discussing them.

PS I received the boots. Thanks!

[Lisamarie8]

We go out, we have fun. Novel idea!!

WORD!

See, Funny (1:10 on the video) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cx67ABQwro)

And Fun (I mean I think you should Canter your 4 year olds first course ever, right? That's a good decision, right?) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMoCYkoV7wM)

And now that Fairweather has a CANTER project of her very own, I can start documenting some of HER decisions! YAY!

[RacetrackReject]

That was great! I love the whole "whoa, hold on a second here. You didn't say anything about water" look on his face.

[Lincoln]

I am positively HIVIZ green with envy.
So great and such lucky, lucky horses to have found you guys. I wish I wasn't too many hundreds of miles away hoping to tag along and make some bad decisions with my baby OTTB.

Yesterday we walked bravely over grain bags on the ground. Well, actually he dragged me to the grain bags so he could look at the New Things and then stomped all over them.

Boy, these horses had better be OK with ammy's 'cause I sure am one.



Thanks so much for sharing.

[magnolia73]

Krazy people with krazy horses. Of course it works out when they do crazy things together.

[sch1star]

I've been a follower of your blogs for awhile now. I especially enjoy the video commentaries :D What did you call the one in the indoor? The NewsCam? You know the one I mean...

[caffeinated]

I've been a follower of your blogs for awhile now. I especially enjoy the video commentaries :D What did you call the one in the indoor? The NewsCam? You know the one I mean...


NewsCopter Parker!!!

[FairWeather]

HA! Poor Parker--That was his SECOND ride ever. GOOFBALLS. But so fun.
Next on the agenda includes some broomball. HUZZAH!

Are my peeps up for some outdoor broomball this week??

[magnolia73]

A giant CANTER gymkhana would be really fun.

[horsepix76]

Excellent videos and posts about your CANTER ponies. I think some of us from FFI are going to have to put a team together for our area events. A schooling day sounds like a lot of fun at our local horse park. Hmmmm.... :)

[retreadeventer]

Dixie also acted as the amassador for all of the park children.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1461/9437369/21846931/360613753.jpg


As for Team Bad Decision, I think I am a member of the JV Squad. I haven't ridden more than a few times since I lost my horse in September. Which means that showing up at Frying Pan Park to school XC on a horse I've never ridden is a BRILLIANT idea! I am still sore 2 days later. :D

too cute!

[HiJumpGrrl]

OMG, a CANTER Gymkana, OR get Jeannette formerly ponygyrl to teach Gutenberg to be a vaulting horse. I can see the TBD event now...

[colliemom]

OMG, monkey riding for everybody to see!! So funny, and too much fun.
I literally have not ridden in three months, and haven't jumped in 6, so I shouldn't have had a totally green-bean out there.
But that goes against everything TBD stands for!!

We go out, we have fun. Novel idea!!

YAY OWEN! he's going to be a total superstar :)


I firmly believe that if you get on these beasts believing that they will be quiet and sane and fun, the WILL! So many nervous and jerky OTTBs are probably that way because their riders expect them to be!

I sure hope Owen will be a superstar! I just posted some photos of him from last Sunday on the AR2 Yahoo Group page, and I'll get them up on FaceBook tonight (can't get that to work from work... go figure!) If I could figure out how to link a photo here I would, but I think I have to be a premium member to do that sort of thing.

Hey, are there enough CANTER horses to get more than one team together for the ATC's? Not sure we'll be ready, but who knows? That would be fun!

[Alibhai's Alibar]

Great work and wonderful updates! You've all been blogrolled and I look forward to reading about your adventures :D

[ToolTime]

I think that this is the BEST POST EVER! You guys look like you are having so much fun. Your TBs are just the greatest. It's fantastic that you are taking them out and just asking them to have fun with you. This sure makes 'training' more interesting for them and I've noticed they really respond well to cross-training. No way will any of you have ring sour horses.

I hope to get advanced enough to monkey ride my TB with you all some day. :D

[FairWeather]

Thats the lovely part about Team Bad Decision, you don't have to ride like Phillip, you just have to want to have fun :)

Thanks for the nice words--the blogs have been a super fun adventure and really did do exactly what i set out for them to do--show people the ups and downs of retraining an OTTB :):D

[pony grandma]

FairWeather I loved your stories on your blog. TG for people like all of you.

I shared the blog sites with a young girl that we helped get her first OTTB, from the New Vocations program. He is such a sap and a sucker for that girl now that her mother swears that that horse wears a smile when she rides him. When we first brought him home for them he wouldn't even look at her, he couldn't connect. I told them to always have treats ready after every ride.

Oh I should share the pics - here's where I realized when I downloaded the photos that he was doing this, turning away, he did this for 2 weeks http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj186/JMAM_photos/?action=view&current=100_2697.jpg

Here's her second time ride on him. I put new recruits in a sidepull for awhile and work on bending and quietness, use of the seat and legs, no bit anxieties http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj186/JMAM_photos/?action=view&current=100_2742.jpg besides we discovered that this guy's tongue had been almost cut in half at the track. The asshat trainers that he got passed around there! ... and doesn't he look all off the track scary :winkgrin:.

You all keep up the good work and all the fun!

[sm]

great thread.

Jleegriffith, your first post on this thread will put a smile on my face all weekend. Thanks !!!

[MKV]

Great post....and NICE horses!

[Jleegriffith]

I guess since this thread is about the CANTER projects I can brag on my boy who I finally got to ride out x-country??? He rocked it out and Marlborough horse trials and won his BN divison in the rain and mud. Go Dixie!

I go on and on about him in my blog (hey it's my blog:lol:) but he is just the coolest horse and gives it 100% every single ride. Perfect adult ammy horse. When he is confused he just breaks to the trot and gets right to the base and pops over.

Our dressage is just okay but a 37 but us 3rd in the division. Stadium was causing some rails and the first fence had a pile of brush under it which got some of the horses looking. He was a bit unsure why it was there but I kept my leg on him and he kept going. He had totally gotten it by fence 4 and was just going around.

X-C was the most fun ever and for those who want to try foxhunting do it!!! I can not tell you how much it has helped him gain confidence. Last year he wanted to slow down and look but we cantered over everything and he didn't miss a single spot. Of course it is much easier for me to put my hands down and let him do his job out x-c so I need to just do that in the stadium ring as well. I am riding him in a loose ring nathe and he is going around with a loop in the reins looking for his next fence. I realize he might not be an upper level prospect but he is the perfect ammy horse. I just adore him and it is fun to see him win a blue ribbon. He has come a long way from that ugly horse that walked into my barn last March:D

[Carol Ames]

congrats! Sounds like you're doing a wonderful job,:yes: and you are both enjoying yourse;)lves was he full of himself when he got home? and proud to have evented:winkgrin:"??

[Jleegriffith]

Carol, he sure was. I really love a course that gets the horses forward and confident as you go. I have taken my time with him because he started out last year a bit unsure of himself. He was very willing but I think you could have easily pushed him to fast just because he would try even when he was scared. This season I can feel this who new sense of confidence and he has really developed a nice jump. The jumps have started to feel small (I mean they are BN but still;)).

I had never fox hunted before but I give fox hunting the credit for making him much braver out x-c. He is still figuring out where his parts go in stadium but I could feel him locking on out x-c this time out. Can't wait to go again!

[JER]

The jumps have started to feel small (I mean they are BN but still;)).

Height is not always what makes a jump big and scary. Some of the biggest, scariest fences I've ever jumped have been BN fences. :D

These photos are all really uplifting. Sort of the antidote to that Craig Thompson articles posted here last week that said you should avoid buying OTTBs and instead, hire a pro to find you a 25K Novice horse. Good thing that OTTBs, despite their myriad talents, can't read those articles.

[Jleegriffith]

JER- the sad thing is many do believe that the typical adult ammy should not be looking to a young tb for their event partner. There were four of us there today on Tb's age 6 and below having the time of our life. Three even got time penalties for being to slow at BN:lol: Those crazy ottb's you gotta watch out for them;)

Lisamarie was at Malborough on Woody and they were amazing. I believe we started about the same time with our CANTER horses so a bit over a year? I was remarking how Woody was so wild the first time she had taken him to an event to just WALK around and now he was sleeping in the trailer as relaxed as could be.

My mom was riding the CANTER MA horse that I sold her and if I could show you the difference in her it would make you cry. Warmblood after warmblood and nothing but getting hurt and having bad rides. I mean we still love warmbloods but it just wasn't working out. I had gotten Flint Hills in for retraining and I knew he was the horse for her. Took me a bit to convince her because he cribbed but don't pass up a good horse! Dead quiet, jumped anything you put in front of him and could take a joke like none other. He didn't look like much at the time but he would do anything for you. She went from being scared to ride out x-c to getting ready to move up to Novice. She won the dressage but had a rail and time penalities out x-c today:lol: That horse is the best adult ammy event horse you will find.

I realize they are not all that simple as I have had my fair share of hot horses that aren't fun ammy rides.

[cranky]

I'm so glad to hear that Dixie had such a terrific outing -- I just love hearing updates about him. Congratulations!